Overview

Drawing on Jewish myth, ritual and tradition, as well as the author’s own experiences, this original and unique book offers insights into how Jung’s psychology and ideas are relevant if understood from a wider, archetypal, perspective. Jung’s writings, especially his amplification and interpretation of spiritual and theological rituals and ideas, focus almost entirely on Christianity and have very little to say about Judaism. By applying a Jungian understanding of selected Jewish topics and stories, and interspersed with anecdotes from the author’s own life, this book will add much needed insight to both the Jungian and Jewish realms. Covering topics ranging from dreams, forgiveness, scapegoating, and Jerusalem to hope, resilience and humor, this extraordinary book explores important aspects of Judaism through a Jungian lens. This will be essential reading for anyone interested in exploring a Jungian approach to aspects of Judaism, as well as those interested in the fields of theology literature, spirituality, history and myth.

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9781032842509

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Reviews

‘Dr. Maidenbaum tackles an immense topic with insight, courage, and depth, and demonstrates how archetypal powers of the psyche organize and generate purpose amid the chaos of outer life.He brings a personal, clinical, and cultural lens to the variegated history and practice of Judaism and reveals its shaping, resilient, and culturally redeeming power.’ James Hollis, Ph.D., Jungian Analyst and author; former executive director: Jung Educational Center of Houston, The Washington D.C. Jung Society, and Philadelphia Jung Society ‘Drawing on his professional and personal experience in both the Jungian and Jewish worlds, Aryeh Maidenbaum has written a book that insightfully examines important themes in Judaism through a Jungian lens. His work presents a passionate invitation to place these topics in an archetypal perspective by amplifying them in the light of such meaningful concepts as individuation, forgiveness, shadow, and wholeness.’ Sylvia Perera, M.A. Jungian analyst and author; faculty and board member, C.G. Jung Institute of New York ‘Through personal reminiscences of his intense Jewish education and of his training in Jungian psychoanalysis, Aryeh Maidenbaum explores the relationship between Carl Jung’s psychological theories and Jewish cultural and literary traditions. Besides treating such literary themes as the Golem and the Wandering Jew, moral themes such as scapegoating and forgiveness, and spiritual themes, Maidenbaum explicates the archetypal roots of anti-Semitism, and brings his own Jungian roots to bear on the much-discussed question of whether Jung was antisemitic.’ Raymond P. Scheindlin, Professor Emeritus of Hebrew Literature, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America ‘This book offers wisdom of the heart and of the mind. Maidenbaum speaks from personal experience of Jewish rituals and from his knowledge of Jung’s theory of archetypes that inform patterns of behavior and meaning enacted in all of us. Each chapter speaks directly to urgent issues that press on us and clarifies what really matters that we need to know right now. Two examples are the rise of anti-Semitism and the Jewish Jungian perspective on forgiveness.’ Ann Belford Ulanov, Ph.D. Jungian analyst and author; Emerita professor of Psychology and Religion, Union Theological Seminary ‘The relationship between Jewish myths and legends and Jung’s archetypal construct that Dr. Maidenbaum explores in Jung and the Jewish Experience is fascinating. If the book were content to just do that, it would be well worth reading. But what makes Dr. Maidenbaum's work stand out is the way he integrates his own voice into describing how Jewish myth can be understood through archetypal analyses. A gifted and compelling narrator, he enlivens each of the legends he presents while guiding the reader through the continuum of Jewish archetypes.’ Michael Paull, Professor Emeritus, Lehman College of the City University of New York

Author Information

Aryeh Maidenbaum earned his PhD from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a Diploma in Analytical Psychology from the Jung Institute in Zurich. He is a Jungian analyst and co-director of the New York Center for Jungian Studies with a strong background in the fields of History, Psychology and Jewish Studies. With over 30 years of experience presenting seminars and conferences on Jungian psychology, he has also organized and led Jewish Heritage Travel programs throughout the world.

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